KR100234121B1 - Refrigerator and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof, comprising: a compressor having a drive motor capable of changing a rotation speed, an outside air temperature sensor detecting an outside air temperature, a compressor temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the compressor, and whether or not rapid cooling is performed. Selecting the quick cooling selection unit, the higher the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor in the quick cooling mode according to the signal from the quick cooling selection unit, the lower the compressor temperature from the compressor temperature sensor, And a control unit for increasing the rotational speed for a predetermined time. As a result, a refrigerator and a control method capable of improving cooling performance and reducing power consumption are provided by changing a driving speed and a driving time of a compressor according to factors affecting cooling performance during rapid cooling.

Description

Refrigerator and its control method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of properly operating rapid cooling according to a condition affecting the cooling performance of a refrigerator such as an outdoor temperature or a compressor temperature when quick cooling is selected, and a control method thereof. will be.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator. The refrigerator has a freezing compartment 3 and a refrigerating compartment 2, which are a pair of cooling compartments partitioned up and down by partition walls in the main body 1, and sense the temperature of each cooling compartment in the freezing compartment 3 and the refrigerating compartment 2. The freezer compartment internal temperature sensor 12a and the refrigerator compartment internal temperature sensor 12b are provided. On the other hand, a freezer compartment door 5 and a refrigerator compartment door 4 are attached to the front of each freezer compartment 3 and the refrigerating compartment 2, respectively, and a plurality of shelves 6 for storing food in the refrigerator compartment 2 are provided. The upper and lower sides are provided, and the special chamber 7 and the vegetable chamber 8 are formed in the upper and lower portions of the refrigerating chamber 2, so that food can be properly stored according to the storage temperature.

On the other hand, a compressor 21 for compressing a refrigerant generating cold air at a high temperature and high pressure is provided in the rear lower portion of the refrigerator, and the refrigerant compressed from the compressor 21 is not shown in the condenser installed over the entire area of the main body. Condensation at The condensed refrigerant is evaporated from the refrigerator compartment evaporator 22b and the freezer compartment evaporator 22a installed at the rear of the refrigerating compartment 2 and the freezing compartment 3 to remove the latent heat of evaporation from the ambient air to cool the ambient air. Air cooled in this way is discharged to the freezer compartment 3 and the refrigerating chamber 2 by the freezer compartment blower fan 23a and the refrigerator compartment blower fan 23b provided in the front of each evaporator 22.

When power is applied to the refrigerator and the driving conditions of the compressor 21 are established, the compressor 21 is driven to cool the refrigerator. When rapid cooling is selected by the operation from the outside while the cooling stroke is performed in this way, the compressor 21 and the freezing chamber blowing fan 23a are driven. At this time, the compressor 21 and the freezing chamber blowing fan 23a are continuously driven for 2 hours and 30 minutes, and this driving time is not calculated from the time when the rapid freezing is selected, but is driven by the freezer compartment by the driving of the compressor 21. It is time calculated from the moment when temperature in (3) reaches -18 degreeC.

However, the conventional refrigerator does not consider the outdoor air temperature, the compressor temperature, and the like, which are factors that affect the cooling performance of the refrigerator at the time of rapid freezing selection, and thus the cooling performance during the rapid cooling decreases. In addition, irrespective of the factors affecting the cooling performance, there is a problem in that the apparatus is unreasonable by always driving the compressor 21 and the freezing chamber blowing fan 23a under the same conditions.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can improve cooling performance by appropriately dealing with factors influencing cooling performance when selecting a rapid cooling.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator,

2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

3A to 3C are control flowcharts of the refrigerator of FIG. 2.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

2: freezer 3: freezer

9: Quick Cooling Selector 12: High Temperature Sensor

13 compressor temperature sensor 15 outside temperature sensor

21 compressor 23 blower fan

25 compressor driving circuit 26 blowing fan driving circuit

According to the present invention, the refrigerator, in the refrigerator, a compressor having a drive motor capable of changing the rotation speed, an outside air temperature sensor for sensing the outside temperature, a compressor temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the compressor, and whether or not rapid cooling Selecting the quick cooling selection unit, the higher the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor in the quick cooling mode according to the signal from the quick cooling selection unit, the lower the compressor temperature from the compressor temperature sensor, It is achieved by a refrigerator characterized by having a control unit for increasing the rotational speed for a predetermined time.

Here, the controller may divide the outside temperature into a plurality of stages, and control the rotational speed of the compressor step by step in response to each of the outside temperature stages. The controller may increase the driving speed of the driving motor as the temperature of the compressor is lower in the outside air temperature step. The control unit divides the temperature of the compressor into a plurality of stages, thereby increasing or decreasing the rotational speed of the drive motor step by step. The control unit preferably shortens the speed increase operation time of the compressor as the rotation speed of the drive motor increases.

On the other hand, the above object, according to another field of the present invention, in the control method of the refrigerator having a compressor having a drive motor that can change the rotational speed, the step of selecting a rapid cooling mode, the step of sensing the outside temperature and And detecting the surface temperature of the compressor, and increasing the rotational speed of the driving motor for a predetermined time as the outside temperature is higher and the surface temperature of the compressor is lower. Can also be achieved.

Here, the controlling of the rotational speed of the driving motor may include dividing the outside air temperature into a plurality of stages, and controlling the rotational speed of the compressor step by step corresponding to each of the outside air temperature stages. And, the step of controlling the rotational speed of the drive motor, preferably comprising the step of controlling the rotational speed of the compressor in accordance with the compressor temperature. In addition, the higher the temperature of the compressor in the outside air temperature step, it is preferable to reduce the rotational speed of the drive motor, the larger the drive speed of the drive motor is preferable to shorten the speed increase operation time of the compressor.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the refrigerator has a freezing compartment 3 and a refrigerating compartment 2, which are a pair of cooling compartments partitioned up and down by partition walls in a main body 91 forming an appearance, and have a freezing compartment 3 and a refrigerating compartment 2. The inside is provided with a freezer compartment internal temperature sensor 12a and a refrigerator compartment internal temperature sensor 12b for detecting the temperature of each cooling chamber. On the other hand, the outside air temperature sensor 11 for sensing the temperature of the outside air is installed on the upper part of the body, and each of the freezer compartment 3 and the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer compartment door 5 and the refrigerating compartment door 4 are attached, respectively. It is. In the refrigerator compartment 2, a plurality of shelves 6 capable of storing food are installed up and down, and a special chamber 7 and a vegetable compartment 8 are formed and stored at the upper and lower portions of the refrigerator compartment 2. Food can be stored properly according to the temperature.

On the other hand, a compressor 21 for compressing a refrigerant generating cold air at a high temperature and high pressure is provided in the rear lower portion of the refrigerator, and the refrigerant compressed from the compressor 21 is not shown in the condenser installed over the entire area of the main body. Condensation at The condensed refrigerant is evaporated from the refrigerator compartment evaporator 22b and the freezer compartment evaporator 22a installed at the rear of the refrigerating compartment 2 and the freezing compartment 3 to remove the latent heat of evaporation from the ambient air to cool the ambient air. Air cooled in this way is discharged to the freezer compartment 3 and the refrigerating chamber 2 by the freezer compartment blower fan 23a and the refrigerator compartment blower fan 23b provided in the front of each evaporator 22.

Compressor 21 of the refrigeration system is composed of a compression unit for compressing the refrigerant in the sealed casing, and a drive motor for providing power to the compression unit, wherein the drive motor is a brushless motor that can vary the drive speed. Or inverter motor. Accordingly, the amount of the refrigerant compressed from the compressor 21 can be adjusted by varying the driving speed according to the conditions in the refrigerator or the condition of the outside air. On the other hand, a compressor temperature sensor 13 capable of detecting the surface temperature of the compressor 21 is installed on the surface of the compressor 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller for controlling the refrigerator inputs information from the high temperature sensor 12, the outside temperature sensor 11, the compressor temperature sensor 13, and the rapid cooling selector 9. In response, the signal is output to the compressor driving circuit 25 and the blowing fan driving circuit 26. Then, the compressor 21 and the blower fan 23 are driven by the compressor drive circuit 25 and the blower fan drive circuit 26. Here, the controller increases the rotational speed of the drive motor of the compressor 21 in response to a decrease in the cooling performance of the refrigerator as the outside temperature by the outside temperature sensor 11 increases. The control unit determines that the lower the temperature of the surface of the compressor 21 by the compressor temperature sensor 13 is, the longer the drive stop time of the compressor 21 has elapsed and the higher the internal temperature is higher than the set temperature. Increase it.

3A to 3C are control flowcharts of the refrigerator controlled by the controller. When power is applied to the refrigerator and the driving conditions of the compressor 21 are established, the compressor 21 is driven to cool the refrigerator. In this way, if rapid cooling is selected by the external rapid cooling selection unit 9 while the cooling stroke is being performed (S5), the control unit 10 detects the outside air temperature and the compressor temperature sensor 13 detected by the outside air temperature sensor 11. The compressor temperature is input from At this time, if the outside temperature is higher than a predetermined high temperature, for example, 30 ° C. or higher (S10), and the compressor temperature is higher than 60 ° C., which is a constant high temperature (S15), the compressor 21 is operated at a normal operating speed, for example, 3000 rpm. Drive (S20). Then, the controller 10 determines whether the temperature of the freezer compartment 3 has reached a temperature set for proper freezing based on the detected value detected by the high temperature sensor 12 (S25). When the freezer compartment temperature reaches the set temperature, the control unit 10 operates the compressor 21 for 3 hours, which is a predetermined time from the time when the freezer temperature is reached (S30).

On the other hand, if the compressor temperature is between 50 ℃ ~ 60 ℃ temperature lower than the high temperature (S35), the control unit 10 operates the compressor 21 at 3,500rpm (S40), by the high temperature sensor 12 It is determined whether the temperature of the freezer compartment 3 reaches the set temperature based on the detected value (S45). When the freezer compartment temperature reaches the set temperature, the control unit 10 operates the compressor 21 for a predetermined time and 2 hours and 30 minutes from the time when the freezer temperature is reached (S50). When the compressor temperature is 50 ° C. or lower at a low temperature (S55), the controller 10 operates the compressor 21 at 4,000 rpm until the temperature of the freezer compartment 3 reaches a set temperature (S60). When it reaches to continue to operate the compressor 21 for 2 hours from that time (S65, S70).

On the other hand, when the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor 11 is 20 ° C. to 30 ° C. at room temperature (P10), and when the compressor 21 temperature is 60 ° C. or more at high temperature (P15), the controller 10 controls the compressor 21. ) Is operated at a predetermined speed lower than the normal operation speed, for example, 2,800 rpm (P20). When the internal temperature reaches the set temperature (P25), the controller 10 continuously operates the compressor 21 for three hours from that time (P30).

Similarly, when the compressor temperature is 50 ° C ~ 60 ° C (P35), the control unit 10 operates the compressor 21 at 3,000 rpm, the normal operating speed (P40) until the internal temperature reaches the set temperature (P40) When the temperature reaches the set temperature, the compressor 21 is continuously operated for 2 hours and 30 minutes (P45, P50). When the temperature of the compressor 21 is 50 ° C. or lower (P55), the compressor 21 is operated at a speed higher than 3,500 rpm, which is higher than the normal operating speed (P60), and when the internal temperature reaches the set temperature, 2 hours thereafter. The compressor 21 is continuously operated during the operation (P65, P70).

On the other hand, when the outside temperature is 20 ° C. or lower at a predetermined low temperature (Q10), when the compressor temperature is 60 ° C. or higher (Q15), the compressor 21 is operated at 3,500 rpm (Q20), and when the internal temperature reaches the set temperature, From this time, the compressor 21 is continuously operated for 2 hours and 30 minutes (Q25, Q30). When the compressor temperature is 60 ° C. or less (Q35), the controller 10 operates the compressor 21 at 4,000 rpm, which is a normal operating speed, until the internal temperature reaches the set temperature (Q40), and the internal temperature is set. When the temperature is reached, the compressor 21 is continuously operated for two hours (Q45, Q50).

The refrigerator having such a configuration increases the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 of the compressor 21 as the temperature of the compressor 21 is lower when the outdoor air temperature is higher when the rapid cooling is selected, and the compressor 21 as the rotational speed of the drive motor is higher. The driving time of was set small. As a result, by controlling the driving of the compressor 21 according to the outside air temperature and the compressor temperature at the time of the rapid cooling, the compressor 21 is not overwhelmed, and the rapid cooling is performed under optimum conditions.

In the above-described embodiment, the range of the outside air temperature and the compressor temperature is divided into a plurality of stages, and accordingly, the driving speed and the driving time of the compressor 21 are set. The driving speed and driving time can be arbitrarily set according to the capacity and characteristics of the device. In addition, the driving speed and the driving time of the compressor 21 may be set to be linearly correspondable with the change of the outside temperature and the compressor temperature.

As described above, according to the present invention, a refrigerator and its control capable of improving cooling performance and reducing power consumption by changing a driving speed and a driving time of a compressor according to factors affecting cooling performance during rapid cooling. A method is provided.

Claims (10)

In the refrigerator, Compressor having a drive motor that can change the rotational speed, An outside temperature sensor for detecting outside temperature; Compressor temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the compressor, Quick cooling selector for selecting whether or not to rapidly cool, The higher the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor and the lower the compressor temperature from the compressor temperature sensor in the rapid cooling mode according to the signal from the quick cooling selection unit, the higher the rotational speed of the compressor driving motor is for a predetermined time. A refrigerator having a control unit. The method of claim 1, The control unit divides the outside temperature into a plurality of stages, the refrigerator characterized in that the step of controlling the rotational speed of the compressor in response to each of the outside temperature step. The method of claim 2, The control unit, characterized in that to increase the drive speed of the drive motor as the temperature of the compressor is lower in the outside air temperature step. The method of claim 3, wherein The controller divides the temperature of the compressor into a plurality of stages, and accordingly increases or decreases the rotational speed of the drive motor step by step. The method of claim 4, wherein The control unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that the speed increase operation time of the compressor is shorter as the rotational speed of the drive motor is larger. In the control method of the refrigerator provided with a compressor having a drive motor capable of changing the rotational speed, Selecting a rapid cooling mode; Detecting the outside temperature; Detecting the surface temperature of the compressor; And increasing the rotational speed of the drive motor for a predetermined time as the outdoor temperature is higher and the surface temperature of the compressor is lower. The method of claim 6, The controlling of the rotational speed of the drive motor may include: dividing the outside temperature into a plurality of stages, and controlling the rotational speed of the compressor in stages corresponding to each of the outside temperature stages. Control method. The method of claim 7, wherein The controlling of the rotational speed of the drive motor may include controlling the rotational speed of the compressor step by step according to the compressor temperature. The method of claim 8, The control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that the rotational speed of the drive motor is reduced as the temperature of the compressor in the outside temperature step. The method of claim 9, The control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that for increasing the drive speed of the drive motor shorter the speed increase operation time of the compressor.

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